32 



MAI.AYAN FIBHEa 



The Siakap ur Kakap {Ltitm aiJmrifi^) its aUo found iii th& 

 seas find estiiiaries of Imlia whtro it is known to Europeans the 

 Cock-up" and its vnii^e extends tti Qiiet*iifi]HH<l fuul Wpateni Aus- 

 tralia^ wbere it h icenerally kiioM'n as rlie ** Biirramundi.'' 



It i? a fint? sportincr fisti and niiiK tu a consjiHerahle siKt*. The- 

 Icr^fst that 1 have liuarri of was taken in thv. Bay of Bun*;al hy thfr 

 GovLTUtiieiit travrltT (loklen Crown '* and wei^lied 5M1 potuids. 

 Befnri' I n^ad of tliit^ (i?h 1 ii^etl to \ie MtisfitM] with 4n or 50 

 ]»ninidt*r!i. 



The Kerapu {Ephiephplim spp.) are very well represented la 

 otir watt^rs and nro tiik' pdihle fish, Somt? species lose tlioir bright 

 colouring soon nfter thev are caiitrJu and have r dull mottled ap- 

 penranef wlieii exhaliited in t}\v fi.-h market whkh woidd not attract 

 a i>urchRP4?r iinacrpiaijitcHl with the iish. From an edible point of 

 view thL^ Kerapu ditfprs Uttlc from Hie Ikan merah, th^ latter 

 fish ow'iii; most of iLs popiilarity to its* ("oJour. 



Kerapu from 50 to TO pninid.s in weight are ucmsionally i=een 

 ill tlie markets and thi^ Keretang fmtitht'rittHii) is eominonlf 

 seen up to two or three Innidrt'd ftounds in WL^i^jrht, Any Malay 

 fishermflK will tell yon of n Keretanjj of fj^hiiluits ^ize whidi lie 

 hooked and foiij^Iit for hours, bein^r worsted in the end Wcavise his 

 Ijoat ami gear were too light to make any impression on tlie tish. 



Very large onee are cKcftsionally taken in fiehiiiK stakes 

 iKehmg) and T have Iieard that the captors, on these omisions. 

 tickle the monster mi til they ^et it i|iiiet and then pag^i a strong- 

 rotaii through its gills l»y whlAi it is finally seeured nnd hauled up. 



The largest K€r£tang I ever siiw was tnken hy a Malay and 

 myself. We had to sink our boat afttT wr hatl foiijjht the lisli to a 

 tiiiish in order to loatl it; the wci^iiht, for there were no nieaiis 

 of weighing; it^ wai estimated at 6 picub. r,c. round almiit 800 

 ponnds. 



Tills tl.sh appears to mc to be identical witli the Queensland 

 G roper illustrated in Stead's Edible Fishes of Kevv South Wales 

 mider the name Fromkrops Uaiara. 



I have read that this fisli derives its name Gropei from its 

 haliit of ^ropij:fj about the rooks but I sujjgest that the name orijcfin- 

 ated in Malaya or India, Tlie Tamil name Kurrapu. The- 

 Malay name h Kerapu. The Brunei Midavfi know it as Kurapa. 

 In the Fhilippines it is* l\nowii to the Fili]iinos as Oarropa from 

 which tlw transition to G roper or Giouiier is a slight one. 



One of our Kerapu (E. imimnti) .h known in Austmha under 

 the names Brown-sfwdted Hind and Blaok^spoited T?oek-cod, and of 

 this fish l?ou«f]dey writt*, "'It h of fijie edible qualit3' ^"^^ j^rows to 

 a length of at least four feet" 



In Anieriea meml)er& of thi^ family art? known as Sea-Bass. • 



